Moving Pictures

Hopefully pictures really are worth a thousand words because then this column will be over five thousand words long. Here are some photos from the "You People" shoot. (Thanks to Charisma Schwarze for the photographs!)


This is a scene we shot Monday at Egg Works. I have know idea what I'm doing in this picture but I know it's the scene where I flip out on the waitress (I can tell because I'm wearing the red sweater in this one.)



Here is a picture of some of the principal cast members, taken at the CineVegas offices. From left to right there is Nathan Ferrier (Stephan), James Germano (Danny), Me (Patty), Will Edwards (Felix), Elly Brown (Nancy) and John Baniqued (Jerry). Note the red sweater with penguins on it.


Here we are at Egg Works doing a different scene, because I am wearing a different sweater (blue with snowmen this time). Will, Jerry and I are in this scene, while Kelly (in the red t-shirt) gives us some of his expert direction (I'm actually not kidding, he is a really great director, he's very clear on what he wants but gives his actors room for their perspective) and Mark (in the green t-shirt) tells Kelly how to do his job - just kidding. Mark is a producer and our lighting guy extraordinaire and he does tell Kelly when he sees something amiss. See how I'm eating soup? This is one shoot I didn't mind the sweaters, it was really cold in the restaurant. I had my sweater off between takes and I got so cold I put it back on even when we weren't filming.


Will and Val came down again on Monday to be extras (we missed you Dyann!) and here he and I are in the craft services room (craft services is the movie way of saying food) I don't know what I was saying when Charisma took this picture but it looks like I'm lecturing Will but I'm not. We actually had a lot of fun on this shooting day and he liked all the food I brought (as did the rest of the cast and crew that day. I'm pleased to say that all of the food I made was gone while the Jason's Deli food was still left over - no offence to Jason's Deli, I'm just better, that's all.


Another picture at the CineVegas offices, this time with expanded cast and extras (see Will and Val behind me? Aren't they good siblings to help me out? Yeah, they rock.)

Okay, today I have to shoot as well as tomorrow plus tomorrow is the hospital benefit. But next week I'll write more, I promise. I have some new products for the Glitter City Sweets line to share with you. Bless you Loyal Readers, and have a great weekend!

Making Movies

Sorry Loyal Readers, to neglect you so. My life has been in such turmoil lately that I'm grateful you stick around!

My filming started Thursday. It was an easy scene for me to get started with because I only had one line. But I did have a funny costume and makeup. My character, Patty, and John's character, Jerry have just gotten back from Mexico. So I look like I have a sunburn and the poncho I'm wearing has a Christmas themed cactus on it. (My character ALWAYS wears Christmas themed clothes!)

Here is the picture

I love the suitcase Charisma found for me to carry. It's a hard-sided round American Tourister. I offered to buy it from her but she wants to keep it for herself. I guess I'll have to start scrounging thrift stores!

Friday I had three scenes but I only had dialogue in one of them. It was an important scene though (since it introduces my character) and I think it went well. Kelly was happy and Will (who plays Felix) liked it too. It felt very comfortable to work with him. I didn't get any pictures on Friday and then I left my camera on set (do you think my desire for a new camera is causing me to subconsciously leave my camera behind everywhere I go so that I have to buy a new one? ) But we had fun and I kept cracking up because the actor who played the Game Company CEO (I think his name is Lincoln) had these really expressive eyes and he would make me laugh by just looking at me funny. He is from England and we had a great time talking with him.

Saturday we filmed at the CineVegas offices at The District. (CineVegas is a large film festival and their offices were really nice. They had a cool coffee bar area in the back, it was neat.) We had a lot of extras on set that day and Will and Val came down to be in the movie too. One of the scenes is where I find out I've been fired and I don't take it well. My brother always teases me about my acting (he sniffs the air and says "Does anyone else smell ham?") so this was right up his alley to make fun of me. Hey, I give the director what he wants, and if that requires a little ham, well then stud me, glaze me and serve me up. Charisma took some cast photos so I'm hoping I can grab some from her (since I still didn't have my camera at this point.) Mark took a picture and I stole it from his Facebook. In it you can see Kelly shooting the scene where Jimmy's character is firing us. I look interested, don't I? My knees hurt from that day because Kelly had me dive to the floor multiple times in the scene.


This afternoon we shoot another of my 'big scenes' where I flip out on a waitress. Dyann said she would come by and be an extra and Will and Val are going to show up again. Hopefully we will get enough extras. I have more filming on Friday and Saturday (plus I'm MC'ing and performing at a charity benefit on Saturday night) then I don't have any scenes to shoot for two weeks. I'll be working on Glitter City Sweets, to get the website up, plus I have a couple more ideas to work out. Then I resume three more weeks of shooting. Oh, and I know I have been cryptic about the title of the film, mostly because I wasn't sure how public to make it, but since the title has appeared on cast and crew Facebook pages I guess it's okay to say. The title is "You People". Hmmm, can you see the comic implications?

Okay, I gotta go make rice crispy treats for the crew, plus hair and makeup and all that jazz. I promise to try to have more pictures for you!!!!!